Strawberry Festival Parade starts at 11 a.m., June 20, at BHS

Activities are under way in Belleville for the 39th-annual Belleville National Strawberry Festival, which runs through Sunday.
The big parade begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, starting at Belleville High School, heading up West Columbia Avenue to Five Points, and then up Main Street to the museum.
Grand Marshals of this year’s parade are Rosemary and Jack Loria.
For the eighth-straight year, 34th District Court Judge Tina Brooks Green is serving as parade coordinator. She announced that, as of June 15, the following have registered to be in this year’s parade. They are not listed in the order of their appearance:
• Moslem Shriners
• VFW #4434
• Belleville Choi Kwang Do
• Great Lakes Towing
• Jitterbugs
• Meijer
• Sugar Plum Candy Shoppe
• Our Father’s Child
• Tri-County Two Cylinders
• Cub Scout Pack #924
• Open Arms Lutheran Church, Daycare
• Rosemary Otzman and Maxine Heifner, Belleville-Area Independent (Maxine was suddenly hospitalized and will be unable to be in the parade.)
• Belleville Central Business Community
• Belleville High School Band
• Kona Running Co.
• Road Runner Sports
• Holiday Inn Express and Suites
• Insufficient Funds Offroad
• Music Lakeside
• A&W
• Shredder O’Reilly Auto Parts
• Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce
• Van Buren Township elected officials
• Belleville elected officials
• Sumpter Township elected officials
• AHG Troop MI 0413
• Wayne Westland Special Olympics
• River of Life VBS
• Royal Rangers Boys Club
• Belleville Lacrosse Athletic Assoc.
• Van Buren Little League
• Van Buren Township Fire Dept.
• Sumpter Township Fire Dept.
• Culver’s
• P&P Dance
• Congresswoman Debbie Dingell
• Wayne Co. Commissioner Al Haidous
• Southwestern Wayne Democratic Club
• State Rep. Kristy Pagan
• Wayne County Community College District
• Van Buren Township Police Dept.
• Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue
• Michigan Warriors Youth Football
• Van Buren Community Soccer Assoc.
• Zap Zone Fun Center
• Ann Arbor Commandery No. 13 Knights Templar
• Mt. Hermon Baptist Church
• TCF Bank, Belleville
• Young Miss Michigan Amazing Girl Pageant
Strawberry Festival venues
There are six venues that make up the Strawberry Festival activities: Main Street, St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Belleville Presbyterian Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, Horizon Park, and Victory Park.
Main Street features crafters, carnival midway by Arnold Amusements, vendors, and a children’s area featuring a White Tiger exhibit.
At 2 and 5 p.m. on Saturday at Horizon Park guests can view a free Extreme Water Sports show on the lake.
Trinity Episcopal Church on Belleville Road, just south of the freeway, features all things strawberry – pies, breads, jam, and more. They also will feature their famous sloppy joe lunches on Saturday and Sunday.
St. Anthony Catholic Church on West Columbia Ave. will feature bingo, a variety of things to eat, entertainment, and a beer tent, plus lots more. There also is a second midway by Arnold Amusements on the church grounds, sponsored by the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce.
On Saturday and Sunday, Belleville Presbyterian Church offers tours of its Martha Mary Chapel, one of the seven chapels built by Henry Ford and his wife to honor their mothers.
On Sunday at Victory Park the annual Cinnamon Father’s Day Car Show will be held. This popular event is for the whole family.
The festival offers a free trolley service that makes stops at all six venues. Festival-goers can catch the trolley at the Belleville Presbyterian Church on Belleville Road where there is free parking.
The Strawberry Queen pageant is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, June 19, at BHS. The Kona 8K and 5K Strawberry Run also begins at 7 p.m. Friday, with from 800-1,000 participants expected to park at BHS and walk over to the race start site at Horizon Park. After the race, the runners can get a free drink at the Fourth Street Square tent.